Sins of the Father
by emtb319
Summary: Captain Archer has to face his decisions in the expanse.
1. Default Chapter

Summary: Archer is court-martialed for stealing the warp coil from the Illyrians in the Expanse.

Category: Trip/T'Pol (House of Tucker) Summer 3.5 Challenge

Rating: PG  
Genre: Drama

Archive: Yes but please let me know via email first.

Disclaimer: Paramount owns it all. I just write.

A/N: Feedback greatly appreciated. Constructive criticism can be emailed to me at . Thoughts are in . I don't know how italics work with , so I'm not gonna use them. Also, this was my first real stab at fan fiction. The first 2 chapters were done without a beta. Chapters 3 and 4 are much better. Actually before I wrote this, I barely knew what a beta is. Jenna has helped me so much, and it definitely shows in my writing.

The Illyrian ship was partially lined with Trellium D, and that was only the start of their problems.

"Captain, we are floating in space. Life support's at a minimum," said his second-in-command.

"Did the distress signal transmit?"

"There's no way of knowing sir."

Over a jumbled intercom, the communications officer tried to relay a message, "Sir there's a ship heading toward us. It's the Enterprise."

"We don't have anything they could possibly want," stated the second-in-command.

"They're hailing us sir; transmitting it to you."

"Illyrian ship, this is Captain Lorian of the Enterprise. We received your distress signal and are en route to your location. ETA 15 minutes."   
Communications abruptly went out, cutting off the transmission.

"Captain Lorian," said the Illyrian captain, "I thought that was Archer's ship."

"Maybe it's a different one."

"I don't know, but I don't trust them."

15 Minutes Later

Enterprise approached the Illyrian ship. The Illyrian communications officer was only able to receive audio signals from the Enterprise.

"This is Captain Lorian. How can we be of assistance?"

"We would appreciate help, but we've had too many problems with your Captain Archer," said the Illyrian captain.

"We need to talk about that. Captain Archer is no longer in command of the Enterprise. We're able to render assistance. Initial scans show life support's failing, and you have no propulsion systems."

"Correct, but we don't have warp because Captain Archer took our coil."

"We have an extra in storage. I'll have it brought to you and installed. I'll send teams to fix your ship, and I'll explain how we're here."

"You'd do that for us."

"Yes, but we need to start these repairs soon. You don't have much life support left."

"Of course, we only have 1 docking port available on our starboard side."  
"We see it. We'll be docking within 15 minutes."

Illyrian Captain's Office

"Captain Lorian, that's quite a story. Enterprise was thrown 117 years into the past, and you are their descendants. I'll say that's hard to believe."

"It was hard for Captain Archer to accept it as well. Dr. Phlox was able to confirm out identities, and he soon accepted the truth."

The door chimed, "Enter."

"This is my first officer, Karyn Archer."

"Sir, life support is fully operational. Communications are back on-line, as well as long and short-range sensors. We're working on the impulse drive, and I'm going back to Enterprise to get the warp coil," said Karyn Archer.

"Very good and thank you," said the Illyrian captain. Karyn nodded and left the room. "I can't thank you enough."

"I knew Captain Archer. I'm sure he did not want to take your warp coil."

"Be that as it may, he did and left us stranded."

"I understand. We'll get the new coil installed, and then you can be underway. Karyn is in charge of the installation."

Karyn arrived to the Illyrian Engineering Deck, warp coil in hand, "Let's get started," she said.

"It'll take a few tweaks," said another engineer, "but she should fit in just fine."

"Great," Karyn replied.

They got the coil in and were trying to reconnect it. The coil was being stubborn and did not want to connect properly. Karyn worked at it for hours, and she finally thought she had it right.

"Now slowly, let's test her. Watch the sensors. At the first sign of trouble, pull the plug."

As they tested the coil, she had to adjust some of the connections, all the while watching the sensors. If something went wrong she had only seconds to get away.

"Energy spike. Karyn get away from there," said an engineer just as Lorian and the Illyrian captain approached to check on their progress. Everyone could only watch as the energy surged through her body and then sent her body flying into a bulkhead. Lorian got to Karyn just in time to catch her and lower her to the deck.

"Lorian to Enterprise. Medical emergency. Illyrian Engineering, severe trauma." An Illyrian trauma team arrived within seconds. Lorian was starting CPR. Karyn wasn't breathing, and she had no heartbeat. The Illyrian trauma team could only watch; they did not know what to do. They'd never seen her species before. Enterprise's doctor arrived to see Lorien doing CPR. The doctor approached and asked him to stop for a moment. Her pupils were fixed and dilated. The medics hooked her up to their monitors. Asystole. She was dead.

"I'm sorry captain. There's nothing we can do," said the doctor.

"Captain Lorian, my condolences," said the Illyrian captain as Enterprise's trauma team took her body back to Enterprise.

"Thank you Captain. Karyn would want us to finish what she started," said Lorien. He then turned to the coil to inspect it himself. He couldn't bring himself to go to Enterprise right now. Holding back his tears he said, "The coil's not damaged. We'll finish getting it installed." It took another hour, and the ship was repaired enough to return home.

"We're leaving you spare parts and extra supplies. Safe journey, Captain," said Lorian.

"Safe journey to you too captain. Again our condolences."

"Thank you." Lorian then turned and entered the shuttle pod. When he got to Enterprise, he headed straight for sickbay.

"Captain are you well?," inquired the doctor.

"Frankly no, but I need to know how she died."

"Electrical trauma stopped her heart, she died almost instantly."

"Almost......thank you doctor." Lorian took one last look at her. Then, he turned around T'Pol was standing there. She was looking at Karyn. She approached her son and brought him into an embrace. For the second time in his life, Lorian cried.

Lorian's Quarters

"Mother thank you, but I need to rest," Lorian said to T'Pol.

"Yes, rest my son, but remember it is normal to grieve. Humans do not suppress their emotions. They found that keeping strong emotions inside is bad for their health. If you cannot talk to me, maybe someone else, or perhaps, write it down. When your father died, I did not know how to deal with my emotions. I could talk to Phlox, but it did not help me. Hoshi recommended that I simply write down everything. It helped." T'Pol saw the anguish in her son's face, but he remained still. He'll deal with it on his own terms. He is half-human after all.She then walked out of his quarters and to her own.

Lorian found himself staring out the view port of his quarters. His mother was right, he needed to grieve and try to move on. He was in charge of Enterprise after all. After some time, Lorien sat at his desk, and started writing. He decided that he needed someone else's advice. He started writing over again. This time a letter, to Trip.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: Paramount owns it all. I just write.

Summary: Archer must face his actions in the expanse. T/T Season 3.5 Summer Challenge-Plot 2

Archive: Yes, but email me first.

A/N: I love constructive criticism. You can email it to me at Enjoy! Please remember this chapter, like the first was done without a beta. My writing still needed improvement. Chapters 3 and 4 are much better.

Chapter 2

Commander Tucker and Captain Archer were walking toward Starfleet, joking about the 'good old days,' before the Xindi conflict. The events in the expanse had put a huge strain on their relationship, but once it was all over with, they had a chance to rebuild their friendship. Tucker even took time off from his engines to spend shore leave with the 2 people he cares about most, T'Pol and Jon. With the expanse behind them, Trip and Jon spent a few nights catching up on their favorite sport, water polo. T'Pol noticed how much happier both men are and has come to respect their favorite pastime.

They entered the campus, and an ensign came running to them.

"Sirs, Admiral Forrest says he needs to see you now, and he put emphasis on _now_." They walked to Admiral Forrest's office, escorted by the ensign. "He's been trying to reach you for over an hour sirs. In the end, he figured at least Commander Tucker would stop by to check on Enterprise." Jon chuckled, even though he was worried. It wasn't like Admiral Forrest to send someone to find him.

They walked into the admiral's office and were greeted by...

"Just what the hell were you thinking?," yelled Admiral Forrest.

"Damn Cap'n, I was expecting a 'good job' or at least a 'hello,'" joked Commander Tucker, as they went to sit down.  
  
"Quiet Tucker. I've been very busy Jon. Starfleet has read your reports. Hell, I don't know what to say... Frankly, they're pissed."

"Admiral, what's going on," Captain Archer was caught by complete surprise.

"Tomorrow morning you will be in the Commodore Erickson's office, _in dress uniform_. Starfleet's calling for a court marital." Forrest said as he continued to calm down.

"Wait a minute, we risked our lives and busted our asses out there, and now a court marital," Trip said angrily.

"Trip enough," said Archer. He knew staying calm was the best thing right now, even though he shared Trip's anger and wanted to punch a few new holes in the wall.

"No, not enough. They can't do this to ya Jon."

"They can and they are," chimed in Forrest. "At 0830 tomorrow morning, meet me here. I'm going to represent you through this, but, I'll admit, it's not looking good. They're only looking at that warp coil issue, and forgetting things that happened with Ensign Sato and Sim, amongst others. Jon as a friend, I know you did what you thought you had to do for Earth, but now we have to justify it all. Looking at the reports, I cannot begin to understand all of your rationale, but I'm your friend, and I know you did what you thought was best. Starfleet needs to know why you did what you did. Remember by any means necessary is not in their vocabulary."

A few moments of silence between the men, let the situation sink in. Admiral Forrest broke the silence.

"Go home, get some sleep, it's getting late. The meeting tomorrow morning is just to inform you about the court marital. I got a call about this from his secretary. She respects me and you Jon enough not to let this be sprung on us in the morning. According to her, the court martial be scheduled for later this week, which gives us some time to prepare."

They all nodded their heads and shook hands, feeling the tension of their situation, but nothing more could be said. Once Trip and Jon left Admiral Forrest's office, Trip started. "I don't get it. They weren't there. They can't do this to ya Jon."

"We'll just have to make them understand the position we were put in. After all, they wanted us to save Earth. We were sent by ourselves, and we had to do what we had to do."

"I'll be right here by your side ya know."

"I know, and I'm glad," said Archer as he patted Trip on the back.

When they arrived at Jon's apartment, Trip and Jon shook hands, gave each other a small hug with a pat on the back, and then parted ways.

Trip walked the few blocks to his place in a daze, his minds was a jumbled mess. All the while thinking. How could they do this? It just wasn't fair. Hell, it's not right to question his judgment now, we had to save Earth.

When he finally arrived at his apartment, a worried T'Pol was waiting. She saw the anguish in his eyes, so she did not ask him why he was late. Instead, she closed the door behind him, locked it and turned back to face Trip. Guiding him to the living room, she asked what happened while he and Jon went on their walk. He sat down on the couch and told her everything. Her face never betrayed her emotions, but Trip could see the anger forming in her eyes.

After the events in the expanse, Trip kept up his promise to help her with her problem, and along the way, they found each other. Her addiction was hard to swallow at first, but Trip remembered that everyone makes mistakes, and that she needed a friend. It was a long road for her, and she has had to work hard to regain her Vulcan composure. There are times where she shows her emotions, but only privately. Public outbursts have become non-existent, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

"We'll have to set the alarm for 0630 to make it to the meeting by 0830," T'Pol stated. Trip grinned. He needed to be at that meeting for Jon, but he needed someone to be there for him, and she didn't need to be asked.

"I'll prepare some tea," said T'Pol.

"I'll set up the meditation candles and pillows," said Trip; he's always been very thankful she offered to teach him how to meditate. T'Pol simply nodded and headed to the kitchen, while Trip headed to the bedroom. While he was still pretty new to meditation, it did help him calm down at the end of the day.

T'Pol returned with 2 cups of mint tea. She handed him a cup, and then joined him on the pillows. He was still thinking about the meeting with Admiral Forrest, and he had a lot on his mind. Give him a few minutes, and he'll either figure things out on his own, or he'll talk about it, she thought. They both continued to drink the tea quietly, and then Trip just shook his head.

"It's just not fair. We risked our lives out there time and again to save Earth, and now they're telling us we did it the wrong way."

T'Pol answered, "There will always be people who question our actions. We can only defend our actions, and...." searching for the right phrase, "I believe the phrase is 'hope for the best.'"

Trip let out a small chuckle and smiled. "You're right, you always are." He leaned over and gave her a kiss on her forehead. "Ready?," he said as he took their tea cups and set them on a table nearby.

"Yes I am," T'Pol said as she started to light the candles.

0830 The next morning

Trip, T'pol, Captain Archer and Admiral Forrest walk into Commodore Erickson's office. Erickson was known to be a little too blunt, never exchanging pleasantry. He was very busy, and everyone knew it. Always got to the point quickly and then kicked you out of his office.

"I wasn't expecting half of Enterprise's senior staff, Admiral," said Commodore Erickson. "Archer's the only one I need here." The officers were surprised to hear a knock at the door. "Enter." In walks, Travis, Phlox, Hoshi and Malcolm. Captain Archer smiles as they enter and stand at attention next to the captain. They weren't going to let Starfleet snowball their captain without a fight.

"Enough of this. Archer you are pulled from active duty as of right now 0845, pending your court martial. Who will be representing you?"

"I am," said Forrest.

"Fine. You have 3 days to prepare, then be at the courtroom at 0900. Dismissed."

All the senior officers left the room behind the captain and the admiral no one said a word until they got back to the admiral's office.

Archer started. "Thanks guys, but the admiral and I have work to do."

"We know. If there's anything you need Captain, let us know. We're all here for you," said Hoshi.

"Thank you. The only charge they're pressing is the warp coil issue. That was my decision alone. You don't have to be there," replied Archer.

"No question about it. We'll all be there," said Travis.

"Thank you...again...but we have work to do. See you all in 3 days at 0900."

Enterprise's senior officers know when to take a hint; they all left, reassuring their captain that they'd see him in 3 days.

TBC

A/N: The next chapter is the letter to Trip. I had to set up the courtroom scene before the letter can be done. 


	3. Chapter 3

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: Paramount owns it all. I just write.

Genre: Drama

Summary: Archer must face his actions in the expanse. T/T Summer Season 3.5 challenge-Plot 2.

Archive: Yes, but email me first.

A/N: Constructive criticism is always welcome. Please email it to Thanks to Myst for her support and encouragement and Jenna for offering to beta my story.

Chapter 3

Trip was pacing in his office, when his computer chimed. He glanced over to see that he had an incoming message. It can wait, he thought. Trip continued pacing. Jon's court martial was 2 days away, and he needed to figure out just how he was going to help his best friend. The computer chimed again. Trip took a closer look at the message and saw no return address or point or origin. The computer had already run routine scans of the message to be sure it didn't have a virus or malicious codes. Curiosity got the better of him. He opened the letter.

Trip,

I know, in another timeline, you were my father, and it is my hope you can help me with a personal matter. Obviously, we survived the journey through the subspace corridor, but we sustained serious damage. That's why we could not contact you. By the time we finished our repairs, you were out of communications range. We continued exploring. It would not have been good had we gone to Earth. In our travels, we came across the Illyrian ship. Our initial scans showed heavy damage. Without their warp drive, they were not able to properly navigate the anomalies. Upon our arrival, they had minimal life support, no propulsion and their short range sensors worked improperly, amongst other problems. It took time, but we managed to get their ship repaired, along with a new warp coil.

Karyn was in charge of the warp coil installation. Apparently, she was having trouble adapting our coil to the Illyrian ship. She thought that she had it connected properly and started to run an initial test. As we walked into engineering, to check on their progress, I heard an engineer yell to Karyn about a power surge. She had no time to react. I ran toward her and saw a jolt of energy paralyze her. Suddenly she was thrown from the coil; I caught her and lowered her to the deck. She wasn't breathing, no pulse, so I called for Enterprise's trauma team and began CPR. My mind was racing; I couldn't think straight. Hell, I'm not sure I was doing it right, but I had to do something. I saw the Illyrian trauma team standing there. I became angry at them, because they stood there, watching me perform CPR. Looking back on it, they didn't know what to do. They've never seen anyone like her before. 2 minutes and 16 seconds passed before my trauma team arrived. When the doctor arrived, he told me to stop CPR. I almost didn't, thinking we need to save her, and we couldn't save her if we stopped. Logic told me allow the team to do their work, before they had to pull me off of her. I watched as the trauma team hook her up to their monitors, as the doctor looked at her eyes. Fixed and dilated. At that point I knew she was gone, but I couldn't admit it to myself. The monitors quickly confirmed his findings. We couldn't bring her back. I could only watch in a trance, as the trauma team disconnected her from the monitors, then wrapped her in a white sheet and wheeled her from engineering back to Enterprise. I could only stand and watch. The facts were in front of me, but I couldn't accept her death. The Illyrian captain snapped me out of my trance when he offered his condolences. I was on the verge of letting my grief overcome me, right there, but Vulcans do not cry, at least not in front of other people.

I couldn't deal with the emotions going through me, so I turned to her warp coil and finished what she started. One of the connections did not connect properly. When the energy went through that connection, it had no where to go but out. Karyn was too close. She may have seen it, but she had no time to get away.

The doctor told me that she died almost instantly. Almost...why'd it have to be almost? That means she felt it. She felt nothing but pure pain before she died. Why? She shouldn't have died. Hell, if anything, she shouldn't have felt it.

Mother was there in sickbay when I finally could bring myself to take one last look at her. I was holding it all back, trying to convince myself that captains, nor Vulcans, cry. When I turned to leave, I saw her standing by the entrance of sickbay. She walked to me and pulled me into an embrace. I haven't cried since my father died. She just held me, giving me the comfort I needed. When I was finished crying, we walked silently back to my quarters. Once we arrived at my quarters, she told me if I couldn't talk to anyone, then I should try writing down my feelings. She told me how she was able to confide in Phlox about my father's death, but in the end it wasn't enough. Hoshi recommended that she write it all down and it helped her.  
  
Damn, why'd she have to die? All this time, she was beside me, and now I feel lost without her. I was used to her always being there. She was a fine first officer and a great friend. Tonight, we will have a ceremony in her memory. I don't know what I'm going to say. I need to be strong for my crew, but I can't right now.

How can humans deal with grief? I see crew members who cry, those who talk about it and those who ignore it. I've cried for Karyn. I find it hard to talk to mother about her, and I cannot suppress these emotions. Maybe I should stop being stubborn and talk to mother. She's the only person who can understand what I'm going through right now.

I'll do that tonight, after the ceremony. Mother was right, writing this letter has helped me greatly. It's helping me face this situation. She was a great person, and now we'll lay her to rest. Tomorrow, I will have to choose a new first officer, but tonight, I'll grieve with the rest of my crew.

Trip, I hope I haven't burdened you with this letter, but I had no other outlet. I figured you would understand what I'm going through. Encoded in this letter is our last position and direction of travel, if you wish to contact us.

Please let Captain Archer know that the Illyrian ship is safe, and they have continued on their mission of exploration. Also, let him know about Karyn. I believe he would want to know.

Lorian

Trip sat back in his chair. Wow, he thought to himself. Dumbfounded would be the word to best describe him. He called T'Pol to meet him at home, and he left the office early today. The letter was transferred to a PADD for T'Pol to read later. There was no doubt about it, Trip was going to contact Lorian, but he would need T'Pol's help.

When he arrived at home, T'Pol was waiting.

"Trip, what's wrong?"

"Here," he said and handed her the PADD. "You should sit down to read that." T'Pol took the PADD and sat in the living room. Trip gave her time to read and prepared some tea. He placed the tea on a tray and joined her in the living room. Trip placed her tea in front of her, but T'Pol ignored it as she continued reading the letter.

She finished and looked up at Trip.

"When were you planning on sending your response?"

"As soon as I figure out how to contact him without anyone knowing, and after I tell Jon what happened."

"I can try to triangulate these coordinates for you. Invite Jon to dinner this evening. We could discuss Karyn. You're right Jon deserves to know." With that, they rose and shared a kiss. Trip brought T'Pol into an embrace for a few minutes. T'Pol settled into his arms. She was upset for Lorian, as was Trip. When they broke their embrace, Trip sat on the couch to work on his response, and T'Pol went to call Captain Archer.

"Today we remember our friend Karyn Archer. She was a fine first officer and a great friend to all. Even though she has left us physically, she'll always be with us in our memories.

From the stars we were born, to the stars we return."

Lorian was too choked up for any more words. He nodded his head to the crew members beside her body. They put the casing back on the torpedo tube, then another person pressed a button, moving it into the tube to be ejected toward the nearest star.

Lorian watched as he laid his best friend to rest. The crew stood in silence for a while before leaving one by one. He was the last to leave.

Later that evening, Jon came to their apartment. He had been with Admiral Forrest too much lately and desperately needed a change in scenery.

"Hi cap'n."

"Hello captain," they said together as Jon walked in the door.

"Hi guys. Something smells good here."

"I'm teaching T'Pol how to make my favorite dishes, and she's teaching me how to make her favorites. My plomeek broth needs some work yet." Trip and Jon shared a laugh.

"Dinner is ready," said T'Pol. "Come to the dining room gentlemen."

"We're coming darlin'."

They sat at the table while T'Pol brought out the main course.

"Jon reminds you of dinner on Enterprise, huh."

"Yea except T'Pol wasn't serving us there." The men laughed together again. T'Pol shot Jon a glance, but he was too busy laughing with Trip to notice. Dinner was spent ignoring recent events. Jon and Trip laughed about past antics. T'Pol was happy for them. It was good that their friendship was mended.

"Trip made chocolate pecan pie captain, would you like a piece?"

"Sounds great T'Pol, thank you." T'Pol went to the kitchen to cut three slices. She balanced the plates in her hands and joined the men.

She saw Trip hand Jon a PADD and listened for a second before joining them.

"Cap'n you need to see this. I received this letter earlier today." Jon took the PADD and read Lorian's letter. Trip took T'Pol's hand and watched his best friend read about his granddaughter's death. Jon looked on the verge of crying. The sight tore Trip to pieces. T'Pol gave his hand a gentle squeeze, offering him some comfort.

"I can't believe it Trip. When are you gonna contact him?" said Jon.

"T'Pol's triangulating their coordinates. After that, we'll need to figure out how to do it without causing suspicion."

"I can get a message sent without anyone asking," said T'Pol. Jon and Trip looked at her. "My family and I still talk Trip. I talked to my father earlier. He offered to send the message for us. If we go through him, no suspicions will be raised." Trip gave her a big hug and T'Pol wrapped an arm around his neck.

"T'Pol I appreciate any help you can give. I didn't have much time to get to know her, but I need to talk to Lorian," said Jon.

"Of course captain." Jon stood up and looked out a window. His granddaughter died because he made an impulsive decision. How could he live with himself. Jon hung his head. Trip saw his friend's distress and stood at his side. Jon was oblivious to Trip's presence. Trip brought him back to reality by placing a hand on his shoulder.

"It's my fault Trip. She'd still be alive if I hadn't stolen that warp coil."

"Jon if you hadn't gotten that coil, we would never have stopped the Xindi."

"I know, but it doesn't justify her death."

"Nothing justifies a person's death Jon. We need to live with it and try to learn from it."

"It doesn't help Trip. I need to go home and think for a while. Will you let me know when you're ready to send that transmission?"

"Of course Jon. If you need to talk, call me. I'm always here for you."

"I know Trip. Thanks." With that said, they hugged and patted each other on the back. Jon gave his thanks for the meal and left.

"He's having a real hard time with this darlin'."

"I would have expected no less. Starfleet's pushing a court martial because they don't agree with some of his actions, and he just found out that Karyn died as a result of those actions."

"I hope he doesn't give up. This might have been the last straw for him."

"Last straw?"

"One of our expressions. It means the last thing before someone gives up in a situation."

"He's strong. As long as we stand behind him, he shouldn't 'give up,' as you would say."

"You may be right, but don't underestimate grief."

"We'll just have to stand beside him and not let him succumb to his grief."

With that said, they picked up the uneaten pieces of pecan pie and cleaned up dinner. T'Pol heard the den's computer chime. She went to check it.

"Trip, I've found Enterprise"

"Great. Let's record a message and send it. We can let Jon know this worked in a little while." Trip sat in front of the monitor. T'Pol decided to give him time to himself for his message, so she left the den to meditate.

"Computer begin recording.

Hi Lorian. I did receive your message, and I hope you're ok. I wish I could be there to help you through this. I'm sorry for what happened with Karyn, and you're right she was a fine first officer. Jon read the letter. How do you tell a person his grandchild died because he needed to make an impulsive decision? Quite frankly, he's a wreck right now.

But how are you doing and how is the crew holding up? This can't be easy for anyone. Hell, even T'Pol is affected. She's worked through her problems, and I couldn't be more proud of her.

I can't understand all of Jon's rationale, but he's my CO, and I'll do as he asks of me. Starfleet's going to court martial him over the Illyrian's warp coil. I'm glad to see you were able to help them; I can never live down that guilt. They took their time going through all of everyone's logs, except for the doc's, that's privileged, with a fine tooth comb. They saw this in one file and flipped out. They gave Jon 3 days to prepare for it, and now we have little over a day left. It feels like they want to make an example of him. I can hear them now, and this isn't how a captain is supposed to command.

T'Pol will encode the way to contact us, if you choose to. We're sending these messages through her brother. This way no one is the wiser about our conversations.

Jon wants to send a message to you. I haven't told him that we found you yet. He needs time. Everything is moving too fast for him, and I'm beginning to think he's lost all hope. With Karyn's death, I think he's lost the will to fight. Jon may just want to give it all up, but he's a good captain. Everyone makes mistakes. Don't you think Karyn's death has become is penance for his judgment?

Sorry for that Lorian. He's my best friend and Starfleet's railroading him. He's suffered enough. I need to be there for him.

I know what you're feeling right now. When Lizzie died, T'Pol helped me. If it wasn't for her I don't know what I would have done. I'm very grateful for her and what she's done for me. Remember kiddo, I'm here for you. If you need to talk to or someone just to listen, you know how to contact me.

Computer end recording."

"And I don't know what I would have done had you not been there for me," Trip heard from behind.

"Ya startled me darlin'." Trip got up from his seat so that T'Pol could send the message. He kissed her on the forehead after she sat down. "I'll be right back." He said as he walked out of the den. T'Pol worked on sending Trip's message.

By the time he returned, T'Pol was finishing her conversation with her brother and his message had been sent.

"Live long and prosper father."

"Peace and long life T'Pol." With that the transmission ended. Trip kneeled at her side and turned her in the chair. He had something for her in his hand.

"T'Pol we've been through hell and back this past year. Without each other neither of us would have made it through. Grandma Tucker gave this to me before she passed away. She said I should save it for one person," he said and then looked up at her and opened the box. "This was her engagement ring given to her from grandpa." As he took the ring out of the box, T'Pol did not know what to expect. "T'Pol would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?," he said as he took her left hand to put the ring on. "I know this is not Vulcan tradition, but it is a Human custom. I want to share the rest of my life with you."

"We do not symbolize engagement with jewelry, but yes I will marry you Trip."

With that he finished putting the ring on her left hand and brought her into a tight embrace. "T'Pol you don't know how happy you've made me. I've wanted to ask you for a while now, and with everything going on I didn't want to wait anymore."

"I am happy too Trip." He scooped her into his arms, turned off the lights and walked out to their bedroom.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: Paramount owns it all. I just write.

Genre: Drama

Summary: Archer must face his actions in the expanse. T/T Summer Season 3.5 challenge-Plot 2.

Archive: Yes, but email me first.

A/N: Sorry, ShouldKnowBetter, for changing your synopsis a little bit. I stayed within the general area you wanted, I hope. Thanks to myst123 for betaing this while Jenna is on vacation. BTW, I used a summary court marital as my outline for this chapter. Remember, constructive criticism is always welcome. Please email it to This one's the longest so far. Enjoy!

Chapter 4

"Maybe I should just plead guilty and get it over with. Who knows, maybe they'll actually kick me out of Starfleet. Hell, after everything I did, I deserve that and more. What the hell was I thinking?," mumbled Captain Archer as he walked home. A few passers-by saw him, but they did not say anything. He hung his head low, shaking it while he mumbled to himself. A sorry sight.

The walk to his apartment seemed too long. He kept seeing her face, his great-granddaughter. So young, so full of life, now dead. Another casualty of his actions in the expanse. Time and again, he pushed his ethics aside to save Earth, convincing himself it was to save his people. He saved billions of lives, but at what cost.

Single-handedly, he proved Soval has been right for years. We weren't ready. Would the Xindi attack have happened anyway? Maybe, maybe not. We have no way of knowing. _Soval must be in his glory_, he thought. He'll be sitting next to the commodore saying how right he was three years ago, and who am I to argue with him. After what seemed like an eternity of walking, he made it home. Porthos greeted him at the door, but he was wallowing in his grief too much to notice the dog. Jon plopped down on his couch, clutched a pillow and cried. Porthos jumped up on the couch, placed his head on Jon's lap and lay down.

Jon awoke a few hours later to the sound of an incoming message. He pushed aside the pillow, waking up Porthos, and rose to answer it.

"Hi, Cap'n," said Trip. "Sent a message to Lorian earlier and he got it. If ya still want to talk to him, T'Pol's father is more than willing to help."

"Thanks Trip. I'll think of something to say to him, and I'll give you the message later on."

"Ya alright cap'n?" Trip could see Archer's face was flushed and swollen and his eyes bloodshot. Probably from crying, Trip thought.

"No. I just need time."

"Been there before. Listen, if ya need someone to talk to..."

"You can guarantee you'll be the first one called," Jon said finishing Trip's thought. Trip smiled at him before ending the transmission. Jon looked like hell. Trip turned to T'Pol.

"He looks like shit." It took T'Pol a moment to understand what he was trying to say, because she was still trying to learn all of his axioms.

"He appeared to have been crying," she answered. Trip took her into an embrace. His own emotions were getting out-of-control.

"What are we going to do? In 10 years, I don't think I've ever seen him cry. The situation's really hitting him hard. I'm afraid he'll give up. He's a damn good captain who did the impossible," he said into her shoulder.

"Perhaps you should go to him Trip. He needs a friend right now." Trip looked up at her.

"You always did give good advice." With that, they kissed and he left.

After Trip cut off the transmission, Jon sat in front of his monitor for a moment. He had to face Lorian. If anything, he had to thank him for helping the Illyrians. Lorian fixed one of his mistakes for him.

"Computer begin recording.

"Lorian, I don't know if you want to hear my voice right now, but I needed to contact you. First, I want to thank you for helping the Illyrians. That was one of my too many mistakes I've made over the past year.

"I'm sorry about Karyn. I only knew her for a short while, but she was my blood. I killed her, because I had to make an impulsive decision to save Earth.

"Now, I am being court martialed by Starfleet, and I only have one more day to prepare. Admiral Forrest and I cannot come up with a defense except I did it all to save Earth. Unfortunately, Starfleet may not want to hear that. I was wrong, so wrong, with so many things. I tossed aside all of my ethics and set Earth back. I never realized I had such a dark side. Before I knew it, I was making more and more questionable decisions, and I couldn't stop. I had to save Earth.

"I can't see them ever letting me command a ship again. They'd be fools to give me Enterprise back. Truthfully, I don't deserve it. I deserve to be knocked down to ensign, scrubbing floors for what's left of my Starfleet career.

"I am so sorry Lorian. You should never have been put into a position to correct my mistakes. I keep seeing Karyn's face whenever I close my eyes. She was my great-granddaughter and now she's dead because of my command decisions.

"I hoped you'd made it through the subspace corridor, but I didn't have time to search for you. We didn't see you come out, and we did not have enough time to wait. If we didn't make the Xindi council meeting, Earth would be long gone. I wanted to get to know all of you, especially Karyn. Now, I'll never get that chance.

"If Starfleet doesn't crucify me, I have to decide if I can command a ship again. Right now, I don't see how I can do it. I've made too many bad judgment calls and everything is uncertain.

"I hope I make it through the next day in one piece.

"Safe travels Lorian.

"Computer end recording."

Jon put his head down on his desk. He wanted to cry, but there were no tears left in him. When his door bell chimed, he rose to answer it.

"Hi Trip. Come in."

"Ya look like hell Jon. I figured ya needed someone to be here right now."

"I do, even though I didn't want to admit it" Jon said. He motioned for Trip to follow him into the kitchen. Jon grabbed two beers out of the refrigerator and handed one to Trip. They sat down at the table. There was an uneasy silence between the men.

"Jon, ya know we're all standing by you, right? We did what we had to do; if we didn't, we'd all be dead right now," Trip said, breaking the silence.

"I know Trip and that's how I keep justifying it all, but I killed Karyn."

"Ya don't believe that do you?" Jon only nodded his head. "She died in an engineering accident. They happen. He'll if it hadn't been for you, I would have died in an engineering accident."

"The accident wouldn't have happened if I hadn't taken that coil," Jon said in frustration. "But if I didn't, Earth would be gone. Damned if I do, damned if I don't."

"Jon, I know ya wanted to get to know Karyn, especially now we know they made it through the subspace corridor."

"I finished that message to Lorian. I don't know if he even wants to talk to me, considering what I did, but it's worth a shot."

"Jon, remember, he wanted you to know about Karyn. I know you need time, but you can't give up. You were the right choice for our mission. Don't forget that. Name me one person would could have stopped the Xindi and make them our allies."

"I can't, but it still doesn't justify everything I did either."

"Jon, we did what we had to do. Starfleet can shove it if they don't like it. They weren't there."

"I know, and that's part of the problem, they weren't there. Thanks Trip. I needed to talk this out with someone."

"Anytime. We're all here for you."

"I know. Let me get that message. I'll probably send him another when all is said and done." Jon left to retrieve the message. When he returned, Trip was ready to leave.

"Call if ya need anything," said Trip as Jon handed him a PADD.

"I will. Thanks Trip," he said as they shook hands. Trip turned and left. Now, they just had to get through the court martial.

Starfleet Courtroom 0845

Captain Archer and Admiral Forrest walked into the courtroom. It was very small, barely enough room for his senior staff. They were all there, sitting in the back of the room. Jon could see one long table set up in the front of the room with three chairs, and two smaller tables faced that one, with two chairs each. They would sit at the left table, and the prosecutor would sit at the right. Starfleet decided to keep this as simple and quiet as possible. No jury, no press. Commodore Erickson would preside. He would confer with a representative from Starfleet and Ambassador Soval would be there to offer advice, and then Erickson would render a verdict. Admiral Forrest thought it would be best this way.

Jon couldn't help but to feel like a marked man. He knew he broke ethical codes, and he couldn't even convince himself that it was all worth it.

"We're just waiting on the prosecution, and then we'll get started," stated Commodore Erickson as he walked to his seat. To his left was Soval, and to his right Commodore Van Buren.

0900 passed, and Jon started to get anxious.

"Where is he," Jon whispered to Forrest.

"If he's not here soon, Erickson and Van Buren will issue a recess until this afternoon," Forrest whispered back.

At 0915 Admiral Hutchins walked into the courtroom.

"You're late Admiral," stated Erickson.

"Apologies sir," he replied. "I'm ready to begin."

"Captain Archer, a plea of not guilty has been entered for you by Admiral Forrest, is this correct?"

"Yes sir," Captain Archer answered.

"Let's begin. Admiral Hutchins you have the floor."

Admiral Hutchins started in the beginning, why they went into the expanse. According to him, Admiral Forrest should never have allowed Enterprise to go into the expanse. It was the Xindi that attacked Earth, but the source of that information was dubious at best. Enterprise should have stayed close to Earth and its officers sent on various assignments to improve the fleet.

Admiral Forrest quickly objected. Hutchins was not getting to the point and now he was attacking his orders.

"Sustained. Admiral Hutchins get back to the matter at hand. Please remember, we are ruling on the incident with the Illyrian ship, nothing else. Before trial you were instructed to argue with evidence only from this incident. Nothing else." Admiral Forrest let a smile creep out while the Commodore had his attention elsewhere. Big mistake by the prosecution, Forrest thought. Soval looked rather sternly at Hutchins who was making grave mistakes. Forrest suppressed his smile when Soval turned to look at him.

Admiral Hutchins started into his view of the Illyrian incident.

"While in the expanse, Enterprise came upon a newly warp capable ship in distress. They were not equipped to handle the anomalies in the expanse. The Illyrian captain and Captain Archer agreed to help each other, as Enterprise was badly damaged from a firefight with the Xindi. Enterprise had limited propulsion and was in need of a warp coil. It was the one thing the Illyrians could not spare. Captain Archer tried to convince the Illyrian captain the necessity for the warp coil, but the captain wouldn't budge. It would take the Illyrians three years to get home to replace the coil.

"Captain Archer was instructed to be at a meeting with Xindi representatives, but without a warp coil, they would never make this meeting. Against the wishes of several senior crew members, he ordered a boarding party to steal the Illyrian's warp coil.

"Captain Archer left them with enough Trellium D for their hull and provisions for the long ride home. He acted on an impulse without looking around first. He should have called for assistance once he realized that Enterprise was in over its head."

"Objection, matter at hand," said Forrest. "Most people saw Enterprise going into the expanse as a suicide mission. They were in over their heads the whole time.

"Sustained."

"The fact of the matter is, Captain Archer stole from another vessel, a weaker vessel. They were not as technologically advanced and they had sustained major damage from the anomalies in the expanse. He broke the laws that govern him. Starfleet vessels do not steal technology from other races. Captain Archer tried to justify his actions by saying he was doing it to save Earth. Saving Earth or not, he broke the law, and set Earth back. We are now seen, by other races, as people who resort to stealing when we don't get what we want.

"All of the evidence is before you, Commodores. Captain Archer admits to it in his logs and his own reports. His senior officers confirm his actions in their own reports. Their objections are also in those reports. Lieutenant Reed and First Officer T'Pol stated their disapproval of the captain's orders, but in the end, they were forced to carry out those orders. The fate of the Illyrian ship is unknown at this time. His actions may have condemned those people to death."

With that said, Archer leaned to Forrest and whispered that they are alive and well, and now have a functioning warp coil. He can contact the people who helped them.

"Sir, new evidence has been brought to my attention. I wish to have a recess to study it," said Forrest.

"What new evidence?" inquired Erickson.

"The Illyrian crew may be alive and well." Erickson and Van Buren spoke to each other in whispers. Soval heard it all, and was showing his displeasure. T'Pol turned to Trip to bring his attention to Soval.

"His control is slipping," she whispered. Soval saw their interaction. She was practically on his lap, whispering into his ear, and Commander Tucker held onto one of her hands.

"He's not the one I'm worried about," Trip replied to her. "They don't know whether or not they should consider this evidence. They may deem it irrelevant to the trial." Soval stopped listening to the commodores bicker over whether to allow the new evidence. He was too busy watching Commander Tucker and Sub-Commander T'Pol speak to one another. When he went to turn his head back to the commodores, he saw something flicker on her left hand. On it, an engagement ring. He regained his control quickly before showing his disgust toward her. Vulcans do not wear jewelry as a sign of engagement, but humans do, which means she took one, probably Commander Tucker, as her mate.

"We will recess for a few minutes to discuss whether we will allow the evidence," stated Commodore Van Buren. Soval, Erickson and Van Buren then stood and walked into an adjacent room.

"You could have told me that before Jon. I would have gotten this trial delayed while we contacted them," said Forrest.

"I didn't know how relevant it would be," Jon replied. "How much does it really matter if they survived? I know what I did was morally wrong, but we had to do something."

"I know Jon. If they allow this, we need to work fast. How can you contact them?"

"We've been going through T'Pol's father. Sending messages only. We've never tried an open comline."

"This is going to be difficult. Soval won't like us using a Vulcan ship for this."

"Of course not. He'll do anything to stop us from trying this." The commodores entered the room followed by Soval. Everyone faced front to hear their decision.

"It is out of curiosity we will allow this. Get me proof about their fate by tomorrow morning. We will reconvene at 0900. Dismissed."

Soval was the first to try to get out of the room. He walked toward Enterprise's senior officers.

"Sub Commander, a word please." She got up from her seat and followed him out the door.

"Can I help you, Ambassador? We all have work to do before tomorrow morning." T'Pol wanted to get to the point quickly. The sooner they were done, the sooner she could contact her father. She did not need to be sneaky about these messages anymore.

"Explain your actions in the courtroom."

"To what are you referring?"

"You are very close to a certain commander. Whispering in his ear is not logical and is not how a Vulcan should conduct herself."

"I was making a comment about the trial meant for his ears only. I could not do that if I spoke aloud."

"Care to share that comment? It is not logical to speak during this kind of hearing."

"No. As I just stated, it was meant for him to hear only. If there is nothing else, Ambassador, I am needed elsewhere."

"The Vulcan High Command has requested your return to Vulcan," Soval started. "I could make it an order. You need time away from these Humans. You've been around them too long and have forgotten who you are. You are showing emotion and consorting with a human."

"I resigned my commission with the High Command. They cannot request or order me to go back to Vulcan. I will consider their request after this trial is over with." The courtroom door opened as everyone tried to leave. "Good day Ambassador," T'Pol said. She turned away from him and joined her crewmembers.

Trip and T'Pol joined Archer and Forrest in the admiral's office.

"T'Pol, can we get a message to them or not?" asked Forrest.

"I can get a message to Lorian's Enterprise. He may be able to contact the Illyrians," she replied.

"Let's try it. Can you do it from here or would you rather try from another location?"

"Your terminal will suffice sir. If it does not work, I can make the transmission from Commander Tucker's apartment." Admiral Forrest motioned for her to have a seat in front of the monitor. Within a few minutes, she had connected with her father. He told her where she could find Enterprise. She ended that transmission and began another. Lorian's face appeared on the screen. Forrest stared at him shocked. He read the report about their descendants, but he didn't believe all of it until now.

"I can send my reports to you, but Soval might fight them. He still doesn't think time travel's possible, right?"

"His opinion has not changed."

"I will send my reports to you. The Illyrian ship is not too far away. I can speak to them on your behalf, but they may not choose to respond."

"Any assistance is appreciated. Thank you for your help."

"Of course. I will send my reports to you and then contact the Illyrians. Shall I have them call to the Commodore's office?" Admiral Forrest nodded yes. "Please let Captain Archer know I received his message. When his court martial is over, I will speak to him, if he chooses to contact me."

"I will give him the message. Thank you." Lorian nodded and cut off the transmission. Within a few minutes, his reports were on Admiral Forrest's desk.

"He replaced their coil and lost a crew member in the process. Jon, if you knew this, why didn't you tell me about her?," asked Forrest.

"Guilt. She died because of my impulsive decision."

"You've suffered enough, Jon. We'll submit this to Commodore Erickson tomorrow morning. I'll wait here to see if the Illyrian captain decides to contact us. Hopefully, he'll be willing to talk to the commodores, but I wouldn't get our hopes up. Go home. I'm going to review this information. I'll call you if they decide to contact us."

The Illyrian Ship

"Captain, sir. Captain Lorian of the Enterprise would like to speak with you," said the Illyrian communications officer.

"Route it to me," he replied. When Lorian's image came up he asked, "What can we do for you, Captain?"

"I just received a communiqué from Earth. Apparently, Captain Archer is on trial for his actions against your ship. Not all of their people agree with what he did. They may understand why, but he broke their laws. Starfleet does not steal technology from other people."

"I hope you're not asking me to defend his actions."

"No. The residing parties simply wish to know the fate of your crew. My reports are not good enough for them. More than likely, this will have no bearing on the trial itself. One of the parties does not believe time travel possible, thus I cannot exist to him. It sounds more like human curiosity than anything else."

"I was tempted to fly this ship back home after you helped us, but our curiosity got the best of us. You showed me the good in some people. We'd like to get to know others like you."

"The humans are good people. You caught them in their most desperate hour. The Xindi wanted them destroyed. Captain Archer was on a suicide mission when he entered the expanse. No one expected to survive, but he stopped the weapon, and made the Xindi an ally."

"Commendable, but I'm not sure I want these people to know where we are."

"Their only high warp capable ship is at Earth. The senior staff of that vessel will not board it until this trial is over. They have a second one, but it is still being built. Thus, they do not have the capability to come out here right now," answered Lorian. "Unfortunately, time is of the essence right now. They need to hear from you within the next few Earth hours, or they will not consider it at all, and more than likely, consider you dead."

The Illyrian captain thought for a few minutes. Would it kill him to let these people know he and his people were alive?

"How can I contact them?," he asked.

"I will transmit instructions. You need to contact Admiral Forrest at Starfleet Command. My instructions will tell you how to contact him directly. Thank you captain."

"You're welcome. I don't see how it can hurt us by telling them we're alive. I will contact him as soon as I receive your instructions. Have a safe journey captain."

"You as well, Captain. Again, thank you."

Admiral Forrest's computer chimed waking him. He was waiting for a few hours and he inadvertently fell asleep. It took him a second to realize where the transmission was coming from. Judging by the area in space, it was either Enterprise or the Illyrian ship. He punched a few buttons. When he did not recognize him, he knew it was the Illyrian captain.

"Are you Admiral Forrest?," he asked.

"Yes, can I help you?"

"You wanted to know our fate. As you can see, we are alive. Captain Lorian was a great help to us."

"Allow me to conference this with Commodore Erickson. He wanted to know your fate. If I may?," asked Forrest.

"Of course," answered the Illyrian captain. It only took a moment for the Illyrian captain to see the face of Commodore Erickson.

"Commodore this is the captain of the Illyrian ship. He contacted us to tell us the fate of his crew."

"Commodore Erickson, we are quite alive, thanks to Captain Lorian. He contacted me earlier and asked me to satisfy your curiosity. I'm sure you read about Enterprise's descendants. One of them, Captain Archer's great-granddaughter, died installing our warp coil. I don't particularly like Captain Archer, but he's paid a higher price for his actions. Be lenient commodores. He's lost someone very close to him because of his actions."

"I didn't think you would actually contact us, but thank you. It's a great relief to have a happy ending for you. I hope we haven't stopped you from your explorations," said the commodore.

"Almost, but we are a curious people too. Once we had proper propulsion, we resumed our original course. We couldn't let one incident set us back. We worked too hard to get where we are."

"I can understand that one. You have satisfied my curiosity, Captain. Thank you, and safe journey," said Commodore Erickson.

"You're welcome, Commodore. Good day now." The Illyrian captain cut off the transmission.

"That went well considering what happened. I wonder what Lorian could have said to him," said Admiral Forrest.

"I don't know, but now we know what happened to them. I'll see you later this morning, Admiral. Erickson out." Forrest let out a sigh. He just realized how late it was. It was sleep or shower. He'd better shower; it might help wake him up.

Starfleet Courtroom 0900

"One announcement before we begin. Last night I spoke with the captain of the Illyrian ship. He and his crew are alive and well. Commodore Van Buren and I already have discussed that transmission. A copy of it was sent to Admiral Hutchins. He's had time to review that transmission. Admiral Hutchins, were you finished yesterday, or did you have more to add?," asked Commodore Erickson.

"No more to add, Sir," Hutchins replied.

"Admiral Forrest, it's your floor."

"Commodore, we cannot refute the fact that Captain Archer ordered his crew to take that warp coil. He even was a member of that boarding party. Enterprise was severely damaged. Captain Archer saw a chance to end this war by making an ally out of our enemy. Without a working warp drive, Enterprise could not make it to the meeting in time.

"Enterprise was working in a very limited time frame. If they had any chance of stopping the weapon, they had to make the Xindi council meeting. The Xindi council was going to authorize the launch of the weapon within days. One council member, namely Degra, believed Captain Archer's evidence against the Guardians, but Degra's word would not be enough to sway the rest of the council.

Enterprise had to make this meeting, or Earth would be gone, and we wouldn't be here arguing about Captain Archer's decisions. Captain Archer had to bring his evidence, against the Guardians, to the Council to sway them. This would be his last chance to stop the weapon. Captain Archer knew we did not have the firepower to stand up to it once the weapon was deployed. Enterprise would not be able to return to Earth fast enough. Columbia is not out of dry dock yet, and we stood by ourselves." That comment was directed to Soval. Soval gave him a cold look, showing his displeasure about that comment.

"It was a desperate time. He fought with himself. Bend ethics and try to save Earth or float in space and wait for the weapon to deploy and destroy Earth. A decision no captain should have to make." With that Admiral Forrest sat down. There was nothing more to say. It was up to the commodores now.

"If there is nothing else, we will review the evidence and return with a verdict," said Erickson.

"I have nothing to add sir," said Hutchins.

"Nor I," added Forrest.

"We are in recess until we reach a verdict. Don't go far. Admirals, I will contact you when we are ready. Dismissed." Everyone stood until Soval, Erickson and Van Buren left the room. Admiral Hutchins rushed out of the courtroom. It seemed like he didn't want to make eye contact with Captain Archer.

"Dinner for everyone, on me, but no drinking," said Forrest. "We need to get our minds away from this trial, but I know Erickson wouldn't like it if we showed up three sheets to the wind." His comment made many of the officers laugh, including Captain Archer. "There's a nice little place down the street. It has Italian cuisine, and it shouldn't be too busy right now." It was close enough to walk to.

They all took their seats and ordered dinner. They reminisced about different antics people pulled aboard Enterprise. Trip leaned to T'Pol and asked her,

"Should we tell them about us?"

"You have an expression, 'now's as good a time as any.'" Trip knocked his fork against his glass getting everyone's attention.

"T'Pol and I would like to make an announcement." That caught everyone's rapt attention. Trip looked at her before continuing. "We're going to get married." Enterprise's senior officers and Admiral Forrest surrounded the couple with 'congratulations' and 'it's about time.' As they were starting to celebrate the engagement, Admiral Forrest's communicator chimed. He excused himself, but no one noticed.

"Everyone, listen up," Admiral Forrest started, when he returned. It took a second for everyone to quiet down. "They're ready for us at the courtroom. We need to be back within 30 minutes. Let's finish up here."

Starfleet Courtroom

"We're bringing this trial to order. Commodore Van Buren, Ambassador Soval and I debated long and hard about this situation for the past few days. Captain Archer, I cannot begin to put myself in your shoes. You did the impossible, and Earth will forever be in your debt. We have come to this decision.

"You will keep your rank and the responsibilities that come with it. You will not be considered for any further promotion. Captain's as high as you will go. You will be on probation for 5 years. If we don't approve your command decisions, you will be relieved of your post and discharged from Starfleet. You will also help Starfleet come up with a code of ethics.

"Starfleet has skirted around the need for a code of ethics for starship commanders and officers. Given recent events, this code of ethics needs to be written. Since Captain Archer breached unwritten codes more than once in the past year, he's the perfect person to be involved in the drafting of such a document.

"Captain Archer you are free to return to Enterprise after you help draft this code of ethics. Until then, Enterprise will remain in dry dock under repairs and upgrades. This is the decision of the court."

After Soval and the Commodores left the courtroom, everyone let out a collective sigh of relief. It was over and now they could concentrate on getting Enterprise up and running. Captain Archer turned around to face his officers.

"Trip I hope she'll be ready when I'm done," said Jon.

"Yeah, Cap'n, just don't be gone too long," Trip replied, and they shared a laugh.

"I'll try my best. It'll be good to get back to exploration again, which reminds me. Sub-Commander did you make your decision?"

"Yes, I did. Earlier I informed Admiral Forrest," T'Pol stated. Admiral Forrest took this as his cue to talk.

"May I welcome Commander T'Pol to Starfleet. If it pleases you Jon, I'd like her to be first officer."

"Of course, Admiral. I wouldn't want it any other way. I'm assuming you two want to marry on Enterprise."

"We didn't set the date yet, Cap'n," replied Trip.

"It will be on Enterprise, sir. This way we are surrounded by friends. If this is acceptable," T'Pol answered. Trip pulled her closer. He loved everything about her.

"Of course, T'Pol. I may have to forgo 'best man' duty, unless you want someone else to preside over the wedding."

"That's ok, Jon. We'd like you to preside," Trip said.

"With that over with, how about a celebration," Admiral Forrest said. He led the officers away from the courtroom and down to the 'Welcome Home, Enterprise' celebration. The Senior Officers were shocked, but delighted that Starfleet did not forget their accomplishments.

The End.


End file.
